


I'm Never Bored with You

by Violentlydelightful



Category: Chronicles of Elantra - Michelle Sagara
Genre: Backstory, Barrani relationships are weird, Canon Compliant, F/M, First Dates, Teela is reckless and Tain is here for it.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-06-07 08:54:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15215570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Violentlydelightful/pseuds/Violentlydelightful
Summary: Centuries before Teela and Tain are beat partners in the Hawks, Teela invites an untested Barrani man for a drink at a human tavern, in hopes of alleviating her eternal boredom. She is not disappointed.





	I'm Never Bored with You

**Author's Note:**

> They're in love and no one can convince me otherwise.

Lord An’Teela Danelle, head of her line, bearer of one of the Three, and survivor of the massacre on the Green drummed her fingers impatiently on the chipped wood of the tavern table. It was a human establishment, which was not surprising. It was about as un-Barrani as a place could be and still exist on the same plane. But she liked it, which was surprising. The Wars were over, the Dragon’s Empire an interesting new experiment, but already the city that sprang up around the High Halls was teeming with mortals and their culture, for lack of a better word. And there was something incredibly refreshing about walking into an establishment, asking for alcohol, and paying with coin. No one here knew who she was, or expected her to be anything other than what she purported to be in this space- a paying customer. 

Still, even here there was risk. Not from the mortals, of course. But risk that someone had noted her presence and would report back to her enemies at Court. It was unlikely, given the subdued clothing she had chosen, the discretion with which the invitation had been extended, but still. Still. 

He was not late. She had to remind herself of this emphatically, because for someone of his stature, untried and untested, to fail to arrive on time for an appointment with someone of her rank was an unforgivable insult. And as doubt started to creep into her mind, she was of a mood to be unforgiving.

Teela wished for the first time in many years for the comfort of her Namebound in her mind. Annarian would soothe her, Terrano would make her laugh, Sedarias would judge her, but that was its own kind of comfort. She wanted to push the bounds of acceptable behavior. To punctuate the thought, she took a long sip of her beer. It was bitter, sharp, the mug chipped and heavy. The experience was wholly unlike drinking with the Court, with its delicate glasses and exquisite vintages. It was enough to stave off the creeping boredom as she waited. 

Her back was to the door. A deliberate choice, in part to silently suggest that nothing that came through the door could worry her, and in part to force her guest to seek her out, since she wouldn’t notice his entrance. It was… rude. But it was a rudeness she could afford. Power was like that. It forgave many sins. 

“Can I get you another?” a human girl asked, holding a pitcher over Teela’s glass. Teela nodded. One way or another, she fully intended to get roaring drunk tonight, and that was going to take some work here. As the girl, or perhaps woman, it was so hard to tell with mortals, walked away, another figure filled the space by the table. He was tall, his unbound hair dark across his back, with joyous emerald eyes edged in cautious blue. 

“Lord An’Teela.” He bowed, not as deep as polite society would require, but deeper than she would have preferred. 

“Tain. Thank you for accepting my invitation.” She rose and offered him a subdued smile. Anything more would have been sarcastic. She gestured to the chair across from her and he sat. “Would you like something to drink?” she asked. Court manners. Tain had dressed for Court too, which amused her. It suited him, but she could think of other things that would suit him better. 

“Thank you, but I can order my own.” He raised a hand, catching the eye of another human girl. She hurried over, sloshing a bit of beer on the floor as she came. 

“What can I get you?” 

“The amber, please.” The girl bobbed a curtsy and scurried off to bring back a cool mug of dark beer. Tain sipped it slowly, but Teela’s eyebrows rose a bit. 

“You’ve been here before?” 

“Mortal taverns are often similar. But yes, I’ve been here before. I will admit to surprise that you were familiar with this place, though, Lord An’Teela. I was unaware that Court paid attention to places like this.” 

“Please, call me Teela,” she said smoothly. The first overture in her game. If Tain was surprised, he knew better than to let it show. “And I couldn’t speak for the rest of Court. I find myself away from the High Halls more often than not.” This had the benefit of being completely true, and also completely devoid of information. 

“As do I.” Tain traced a slender finger around the rim of his mug. On a Lord’s fine crystal, this would have produced a beautiful note. Here, it did nothing. He didn’t seem to be bothered by this. 

“I’m surprised you stay in the city at all, if Court holds so little interest for you.” A questing statement. He could take offense at the reference to his unwillingness to take the Test. Or he could divulge his interest in Elantra. Instead, he did neither. 

“I never said Court held no interest for me.” His gaze swept across her, pale unmarred skin accented with wide eyes, more green than blue despite her better judgment. The heat of his gaze was gratifying in the extreme. 

“Of course not,” she conceded. “After all, we were introduced at Court by your cousin.” As the alcohol took its slow hold over her, she couldn’t immediately recall if it had been months or years since the sprawling, stilted dinner where she had been introduced to him. But she couldn’t forget the hold of his gaze, the steadiness of his presence. Even as everyone around them descended into the bickering that passed for polite company, he had remained truly calm, utterly unaffected by the swirl of politics around him. He didn’t vie for position, nor did he give ground to those around him. He simply… was. It was a unique kind of strength, to walk into Court and not care. 

Suddenly, Teela found herself tired of the small steps, the subtle dance of conversation. To abandon the games of Court was to die, but she did change tactics. The Barrani woman leaned over the table, fully away of how this changed the lines of her shirt in artlessly appealing ways, and smiled wickedly. 

“How would you like to get utterly drunk with me tonight?” It was easily the most direct she had been in centuries. The sensation was novel, exhilarating. 

“I would like that very much.” Tain smiled back, showcasing his chipped teeth. Teela wanted very badly to run her tongue over that small imperfection. And what Lord An’Teela wanted, she got. 

After that, the night blurred together into a mess of drinking and fighting. That they would not be welcome back in that establishment was a certainty. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was the feel of Tain’s arm against her hand, perfectly appropriate even after the chaos of the tavern, as they walked through the dark streets. It should have annoyed her. Instead, it kindled a fire deep inside her. She quickened their pace, and he matched her long stride easily. 

“Did you have somewhere else in mind?” Tain asked, eyes bright in the quiet streets. 

“I did.” She pulled him into the doorway of an elegant apartment, and carelessly pressed her hand against the door ward. The door fell open, and she retreated into the silence of her apartment. 

“You keep quarters among the mortals?” There was no disgust in his voice, but the way his eyes widened indicated surprise. 

“As I said, I don’t care much for Court.” He followed her into the space. A mortal might have needed a candle or a lamp to find their way through her hallways to the large round bed in her room, but Barrani eyes were keener than that. They made do without, which was probably for the best, because as the door clicked shut behind them, Teela was no longer content with polite behavior. She wrapped her arms around Tain’s neck, fingers tangled in his long hair, and pulled him into a deep kiss. She ran her tongue along the chipped edges of his teeth, reveling in the sharp sensation and the way his hands drifted down to grip her waist. It was everything she thought it would be. Tain didn’t release his grip on her waist as she broke their kiss, keeping their bodies pressed together. 

If it was true that Barrani memories ran deep, and it was, it was also true that much of what they contained was banal or boring in the extreme. Another sunrise, another fight, another walk in an ancient forest. Teela’s memory was frankly littered with interchangeable experiences that she could recall with perfect clarity. As Tain’s fingers parted the ties of her shirt and his mouth found purchase along her collarbone, a thrill shuddered through her slender frame. 

Teela arched her neck and her lips curved in a feline smile. 

“Would you like to see my bedroom?” she asked. 

“I think I would.” 

She knew then that she had been right. This moment would last, bright and clear in the crystal of her memory, for the rest of her very long life, and nothing would ever dull its shine. 


End file.
